Trump reportedly made his staff brief him for Merkel's visit while he was in the bathroom

President Donald Trump reportedly got up and went into the bathroom when his aides were briefing him before a meeting with German Chancellor Angela Merkel.

The meeting between Trump and Merkel ended up being uncomfortable, with Trump apparently refusing to shake her hand.

Merkel and Trump have ideological differences, and since the meeting Merkel has seemed to sour on Trump and the US's role in Europe.

President Donald Trump had a visibly rocky meeting with German Chancellor Angela Merkel in March when she visited the White House, but a new report from the Washington Post provides a behind the scenes look that may have foreshadowed the event.

In a long investigation detailing Trump's interactions with his White House staff, the Post's story cites several officials who said that while National Security Adviser H.R. McMaster briefed Trump on issues Merkel would likely raise, the president got up and went to the bathroom.

Trump left the door open and instructed his aides to speak up so he could hear them, according to the Post.

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U.S. President Donald Trump acknowledges members of his cabinet, including Chief of Staff Reince Priebus (from 4th R), Senior Advisor Steve Bannon, Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross and Vice President Mike Pence, as they arrive to meet with Germany's Chancellor Angela Merkel (L) in the Oval Office at the White House in Washington, U.S. March 17, 2017. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst

U.S. President Donald Trump and Germany's Chancellor Angela Merkel wait for reporters to enter the room before their meeting in the Oval Office at the White House in Washington, U.S. March 17, 2017. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst

U.S. President Donald Trump and Germany's Chancellor Angela Merkel watch as reporters enter the room before their meeting in the Oval Office at the White House in Washington, U.S. March 17, 2017. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst

U.S. President Donald Trump meets with Germany's Chancellor Angela Merkel in the Oval Office at the White House in Washington, U.S. March 17, 2017. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY

U.S. President Donald Trump, speaks while Angela Merkel, Germany's chancellor, left, listens during a meeting in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, D.C., U.S., on Friday, March 17, 2017. Merkel, who is running for a fourth term in Germanys election in September, plans to explain her view of the mutual advantages of free trade during her talks with Trump on Friday, according to German officials. Photographers: Pat Benic/Pool via Bloomberg

US President Donald Trump and German Chancellor Angela Merkel hold a joint press conference in the East Room of the White House in Washington, DC, on March 17, 2017. / AFP PHOTO / Brendan Smialowski (Photo credit should read BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI/AFP/Getty Images)

U.S. President Donald Trump and German Chancellor Angela Merkel arrive to speak at a joint news conference at the White House in Washington, U.S., March 17, 2017. REUTERS/Jim Bourg

US President Donald Trump and German Chancellor Angela Merkel hold a joint press conference in the East Room of the White House in Washington, DC, on March 17, 2017. / AFP PHOTO / SAUL LOEB (Photo credit should read SAUL LOEB/AFP/Getty Images)

U.S. President Donald Trump and Angela Merkel, Germany's chancellor, smile for photographs as she arrives to the West Wing of the White House in Washington, D.C., U.S., on Friday, March 17, 2017. Trumps first meeting with Merkel will test the power dynamic between the Wests two pre-eminent leaders, one struggling for credibility on the world stage while the other fights for political survival at home. Photographer: Andrew Harrer/Bloomberg via Getty Images

U.S. President Donald Trump welcomes German Chancellor Angela Merkel at the White House in Washington, U.S., March 17, 2017. REUTERS/Jim Bourg

U.S. President Donald Trump welcomes German Chancellor Angela Merkel at the White House in Washington, U.S., March 17, 2017. REUTERS/Jim Bourg

U.S. President Donald Trump welcomes German Chancellor Angela Merkel at the White House in Washington, U.S., March 17, 2017. REUTERS/Jim Bourg

U.S. President Donald Trump escorts German Chancellor Angela Merkel at the White House in Washington, U.S., March 17, 2017. REUTERS/Jim Bourg

U.S. President Donald Trump greets German Chancellor Angela Merkel at the White House in Washington, U.S., March 17, 2017. REUTERS/Jim Bourg

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A White House official said that while inside, Trump "took a glance in the mirror, as this was before a public event."

When the two leaders met before cameras in the Oval Office, they exchanged formalities before Trump memorably appeared to not hear Merkel or the photographers in the room ask if the two would shake hands. The two did not shake hands at the time, and Trump later said he simply had not heard the requests.

Merkel and Trump clash on ideological issues, with Merkel inviting more than one million refugees from the Middle East to take residency in Germany and Trump banning refugees from Syria entirely. Trump has aligned himself with Brexit and NATO skepticism, while Merkel strongly promotes the European Union and NATO.

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